Technical Field
Aspects and embodiments of the present invention relate to systems and methods for the treatment of individuals experiencing cardiac distress.
Discussion of Related Art
Treatment of a subject experiencing cardiac distress may generally include clearing the subject's airway, assisting the subject's breathing, chest compressions, and defibrillation.
Defibrillation can be performed with the use of an automatic external defibrillator (AED). Most automatic external defibrillators are actually semi-automatic external defibrillators (SAED), which require a clinician to press a start button, after which the defibrillator analyzes the subject's condition and provides a shock to the subject if the electrical rhythm is shockable and waits for user intervention before any subsequent shock. Fully automatic external defibrillators, on the other hand, do not wait for user intervention before applying subsequent shocks. As the term is used herein, automatic external defibrillators (AED) include semi-automatic external defibrillators (SAED).
Defibrillation shocks are typically delivered to a subject from a defibrillator through a set of defibrillation electrodes placed on the body of the subject. The electrodes are placed in electrical communication with the skin of the subject in locations that will direct an electrical charge supplied through the electrodes through the heart of the subject.
In some instances, one or more defibrillation electrodes may be provided in a defibrillation electrode pad assembly including a CPR administration area. The CPR administration area may be a portion of the defibrillation electrode pad assembly through which a first responder may apply chest compressions to a subject during the administration of CPR. The CPR administration area may be displaced from defibrillation electrodes in the defibrillation electrode pad assembly.
It is often desirable to arrange the defibrillation electrodes and CPR administration area in a defibrillation electrode pad assembly such that the relative positioning of the defibrillation electrodes and the CPR administration area provide for each to be located on an appropriate location of a subject when the defibrillation electrode pad assembly is applied to the subject. For subjects of different sizes, for example, pediatric subjects versus adult subjects, it has in the past been necessary to provide differently sized defibrillation electrode pad assemblies such that the distance between the defibrillation electrodes and the CPR administration area allows for each to be located properly on the differently sized subjects.